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I have an odd question to ask. I'm only new to Raspberry Pi's and recently acquired my first one. However I'm struggling to find the difference(s) between the Raspberry Pi 3 I bought, and the B+ model as shown in a previous answer. From the layout of the board I've got, it looks like (for all intents and purposes) the B+ model. However, on closer inspection on the motherboard, it says 'Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2' .

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B??

Can someone tell me what the difference is? Do I have the B+ version? If not, can someone explain to me what the difference is between the models? Is it something that I should be worried or concerned about?

Aurora0001
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Tom Thorp
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4 Answers4

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That couldn't have been a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+... because that model didn't exist!

Until March 2018, the only Pi to have a Model B+ version is the original Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+. The differences between the Pi 1 Model B and B+ are as follows:

  • Tidier layout
  • 40 General Purpose Input/Output Pins (GPIO) compared to 26 on the Pi B
  • Improved connectivity (4 USB Ports compared to 1)
  • Improved audio quality
  • Lower power consumption. Switching power regulators reduce the power consumption to between 0.5 W and 1 W
  • Push-push microSD card slot

Regardless, since your Pi specifically says 'Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2', you can be absolutely sure it is, as stated, a Pi 3 Model B.

In fact, the Model B was the only model of Pi 3 available as of late 2017—the Pi 3 Model A hadn't yet been released.

You might also like this identification guide if you're in any doubt as to what type of Pi you have.

Aurora0001
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    One of the comments in this link have a python scripts that translate the model ID to a comprehensible name: https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/72239/how-does-raspbian-know-its-been-installed-in-a-pi-or-compute-module/72242?noredirect=1#comment113679_72242 – MatsK Sep 12 '17 at 16:23
  • Thanks to those who answered. I've now been able to determine the type of board I have. It's an a02082 revision board made by Sony. – Tom Thorp Sep 13 '17 at 05:46
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    @Aurora0001 Your first statement is now wrong :D – Giorgio Aresu Mar 14 '18 at 08:37
  • @Giorgio Good spot, thanks, that's now fixed... although it does destroy the dramatic effect a little ;) – Aurora0001 Mar 14 '18 at 17:45
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The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ does exist now (release date 2018-03-14)

However at the time of the question the 3 B+ didn't exist yet. On the picture you can see that on the PCB it says Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2

B not B+ !!1

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The sequence of "B series" pi models goes.

  • Raspberry pi model B, BCM2835, two USB2 host ports, 10/100 Ethernet, 256MB or 512MB of ram. Released Febuary 2012
  • Raspberry pi model B+ BCM2835, four USB2 host ports, 10/100 Ethernet, 512MB of ram. Released July 2014
  • Raspberry pi 2 model B BCM2836, four USB2 host ports, 10/100 Ethernet, 1GB of ram. Released February 2015
  • Raspberry pi 3 model B BCM2837, four USB2 host ports, 10/100 Ethernet, 1GB of ram, 2.4GHz wifi, bluetooth. Released February 2016
  • Raspberry pi 3 model B+ BCM2837B0, four USB2 host ports, 10/100/1000 Ethernet (though limited to about 300M in practice by the USB bus), 1GB of ram, dual band wifi, bluetooth. Released March 2018
  • Raspberry pi 4 model B BCM2711B0, a total of five USB ports (two USB3 host, two USB2 host, one USB2 OTG), 10/100/1000 Ethernet (no longer bottlenecked by USB bus), 1GB/2GB/4GB ram. Released July 2019

The key thing is that just because they dropped the + from the name when they released the next generation does not mean that they dropped the improvements made. A "Raspberry pi 2 model B" or "raspberry pi 3 model B" is better than a "Rasperry pi model B+". A "Raspberry pi 4 model B" is better than a "Raspberry pi 3 model B+".

Your Pi is a Raspberry pi 3 model B which was the latest at the time you wrote your post.

Peter Green
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The inscription you quote is from a regular model 3B

Also, the chip layout is clearly not a B+

enter image description here

This is the layout of a 3 B+

The 1024 MB (1 GB) variant is now available. The price is $44.95

Element14 Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (Amazon)

Human
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SDsolar
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